The Originals Shocker: Which Series Regular Has Left the Show?

In a surprising move, series regular Claire Holt has exited The Originals before the end of the first season, TVGuide.com has confirmed.Tuesday's episode concluded with Klaus (Joseph Morgan) finally setting Rebekah (Holt) free from her familial obligations, so she left ...

In a surprising move, series regular Claire Holt has exited The Originalsbefore the end of the first season, TVGuide.com has confirmed.

Tuesday's episode concluded with Klaus (Joseph Morgan) finally setting Rebekah (Holt) free from her familial obligations, so she left New Orleans. However, this move will be permanent. Holt decided to leave The CW's new hit series as a series regular, though the door is open for her character to return as a guest star.

Holt's character, Rebekah Mikaelson, was first introduced as a villain on The Vampire Diariesin 2011. She appeared in nearly 40 episodes before the Michaelson vampire family was spun-off, making it all the more surprising that Holt's Rebekah will no longer be a part of the show. A source close to Holt told Buzzfeed, which first reported the news, that Holt did not intend on playing the character for such a long period of time.

Are you surprised that Holt has left the show? Will you miss Rebekah?

The Originals, which was recently renewed for a second season, airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies.)